MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT
Wital Ltd is committed to conducting business responsibly. We also seek to ensure that our supply chains operate to those same high standards, including those in relation to employment practices, workplace conditions and, more specifically, the prevention of forced, bonded and trafficked labour. This is upheld through the company’s policies and processes, and is supported by the Executive Board.
This statement has been published in accordance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the steps taken by Wital Ltd in this area.
OUR BUSINESS
Wital is a luxury tea house from Germany. In Wital craftsmanship traditions are combined with the cutting-edge innovations with the help & experience of the prominent German tea taster. Highest quality standards are applied at the each step of the process: from the manual tea leaves selection & harvesting to packaging our teas in handcrafted royal tea bags.
OUR MISSION
We do our best to complement contemporary lifestyle of our consumers with unforgettable tea moments, striving for perfection in every detail. Focusing on quality, exclusivity and design we bring the unique tea taste and experience illuminated with an elegance and grace.
OUR SUPPLY CHAINS
Wital’s supply chain is rather diverse. We trade with some of the largest global corporations in the world and also with small owner-managed businesses. We trade with suppliers in the UK, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and China. As such this requires a robust approach to risk identification and management for both our own and our Client’s protection and also to align with our Corporate Social Responsibility ethos.
With respect to Modern Slavery, risk is identified relative to the characteristics of the spend category e.g. For example: high/low labour content, skilled/unskilled labour, options for low cost country sourcing and associated economic development as well as regulatory compliance around employment controls.
OUR POLICIES
Wital’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is fully aligned with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “Act”). This policy is owned and monitored at Executive level and works alongside existing group policies on Procurement, HR & Recruitment, Whistleblower, Dignity in the Workplace and Code of Ethics to give us a comprehensive control environment in this important area.
Wital has a zero-tolerance approach to forced, bonded or compulsory labour, human trafficking and other kinds of slavery.
OUR APPROACH
Wital has established processes and procedures that are designed to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within our own business and within our supply chain. These extend from our Recruitment Policy and process with its associated vetting requirement, through Induction and annual mandatory training for all colleagues at either awareness or advanced level depending on individual role. For the management of our supply chain, Wital has developed its supplier due diligence processes to create a toolkit aimed specifically at dealing with modern slavery and its associated issues. Our approach provides for a mix of education, development and enforcement across our supply chains additionally supporting the development of our suppliers where appropriate. The foundation of our approach is a comprehensive supplier Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, along with support to our Modern Slavery Code of Conduct – in addition to our pre-existing “Supplier Code” - which outlines our expectations with respect to our values. Supplemental Supplier management activities which help us to assess risk on an ongoing basis are Supplier Audit programmes with ongoing risk assessment around the indicators of slavery. Where necessary further self-assessment and investigation is required, and corrective action taken which may or may not include suspension of trading but will always include an improvement programme.
EVALUATING OUR PROGRESS
During 2022 we continued to embed the tenets of the protection of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 into our standard policies and practices to ensure that the issues are addressed as business as usual for Wital and it Supply Chain and recorded as such. As part of our approach to continuous mprovement we collaborate with external parties including professional institutions and our Client base to share best practice and deliver improvement oportunities as they become apparent and necessary. We found no instances of modern slavery in our supply chains in 2018 and we remain confident that we are well placed to address any that may be identified in our normal business operation.